Sherman’s social-media efforts have really been kicked up a notch in the past few months, so heading into Saturday’s UFC on FOX 25 event, he knew some eyes were on him. He can entertain fans in 140 characters, but if he didn’t also entertain them in the cage, he knew the support could disappear.

“It almost seemed like I had a little more pressure this time than last time because I don’t want to let my fans down,” he said. “They invest a lot in me, and they’re constantly watching.”

“I always want to prove them right,” he said of his growing legion of supporters. “I always want to make them proud, make my family proud, make my friends proud. So there’s a little more pressure there because I told myself I’d much rather just go 0-3 and completely fail at it than be a one-hit wonder – to get that little bit of fame and then fizzle out and no one remember who you are.”

The 27-year-old, who went 9-1 on the regional circuit with nine knockout victories, then joined the UFC and promptly suffered losses to Justin Ledet and Walt Harris. However, with a current winning streak that includes a knockout of Rashad Coulter and the decision victory over Grabowski, he’s now looking to move up the ranks – and a fight with Mark Godbeer (12-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) would do just fine, he said.

“We’ve got two (UFC wins) under the belt,” he said. “Let’s go for three and evaluate the top 15 and see where we’re at.

On March 19, 2011, 23-year-old Jon Jones brutalized UFC light heavyweight champion “Shogun” Rua to become the youngest titleholder in UFC history. But for Jones, it was only the start of a wild ride that at times spun out of control.